Missouri takes different approach to building with small class

Missouri is coming off back-to-back double-digit winning seasons for the first time since the Gary Pinkel glory days.

The Tigers beat Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl two seasons ago and Iowa in the Music City Bowl last season to build momentum into these last few months.

Former offensive lineman Armand Membou went in the first round of April’s NFL Draft and star receiver Luther Burden was a second-round pick.

A lot is going well for coach Eli Drinkwitz and his staff.

So why does Missouri have only 10 commitments, bottom of the barrel in the SEC and tied for the fewest commitments among Power Four teams with Virginia Tech?

That answer is a little more complicated.

“It’s a combination of a couple things,” said Kenny Van Doren of MizzouToday.com  “One big thing is they’ve put a different factor into what they’ve seen over production over potential. They want guys who can come right in and play right away. They can build a foundation through the high school ranks and retool by going to get guys who can play right away.”

A few recruiting cycles ago, Drinkwitz went viral on social media for an excessive celebration following five-star Williams Nwaneri’s commitment to Missouri over Georgia. It was reason to throw a party. But after only one season where he played in four games and made two tackles, Nwaneri transferred to Nebraska.

Three of the top four players in that vaunted 2024 Missouri recruiting class are now gone as Nwaneri went to the Huskers, four-star receiver Courtney Crutchfield bolted for Arkansas and four-star running back Kewan Lacy left for Ole Miss.

Missouri could see it this way: Why put in all that recruiting effort and expense when players come in for one year and then go search for a more lucrative opportunity?

Or why bring in a developmental prospect through the high school ranks when proven commodities will come to Columbia through the transfer portal because Missouri is now a wanted destination?

The Tigers had the sixth-best transfer class last cycle landing four-star RB Ahmad Hardy, who rushed for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns at ULM last season, four-star edge Damon Wilson from Georgia, four-star LB Josiah Trotter from West Virginia (who had 92 tackles last season), four-star receiver Kevin Coleman, who led Mississippi State by far in receiving a year ago with more than 900 yards, and others.

Lose out on four-star offensive tackle Evan Goodwin to SMU? The portal is always open. The Tigers are also working on flipping UCLA OL commit Johnnie Jones, Mississippi State edge commit Micah Nickerson and a few others. Van Doren said a 17-person class could be within range for Missouri this cycle.

For Drinkwitz, whose team has as many wins as Alabama over the last two seasons, he has a clear vision for what recruits – and then players – should expect when playing at Missouri. And it’s clearly communicated to every player in Columbia.

“The first thing is it’s a brotherhood so when anybody walks in, there’s trust and respect between coaches and players,” Drinkwitz said. “I believe our team trusts our coaching staff so when they bring somebody in there’s going to be an (immediate) amount of respect given to them.

“Trust is earned through competency and character. There is a level of respect that’s going to be given to anybody who walks in this building because they believe our coaches are going to pick guys who align with the values of our program. 

“The second thing is we have an always-compete mindset. What we bring in is inconsequential to your race and what you’re trying to do every single day to be the best version of yourself.”